This blog will follow my eighteen month LDS mission in the South. September 2013–March 2015

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Thanksgiving was wonderful!

I got the package you sent with the letter garland! The Hermanas and Sister Bailey were amazed when I opened the box. I couldn’t believe it! What an amazing and touching gift! I got it a couple days before December started, and I could hardly wait to open the first letter! It’s the first thing I’ve done these past two days. I loved the letters from Mike and Suzanne. (They are the first ones I’ve opened so far.) So sweet! and Congratulations to Isaac!!! I can’t believe it! When does he leave?

Our song went well! I’ll have to give you the full lyrics later on in the letter if I have time. The zone absolutely loved it, and it even made one of our Zone Leaders (Elder Crawford) cry (and he never does!). We have been asked to sing it at our Zone Conference on the 12th (that’s where the the two zones in our stake gather together for a meeting)

I have been working with some of the missionaries in our zone with “Candlelight Carol”. So far so good, but we have a terrible lack of balance between the Elders and Sisters. Too many Elders! I’m going to have to slim it down just a little bit (I’m sure a lot of the Elders will welcome the excuse to get out of singing in a choir haha. Trust me.)

Thanksgiving was wonderful! We spent it at the S’s’. Their son is 30 or so, a recent convert, and his non-member parents love us! We’re trying to help him get his Patriarchal Blessing, he’s been member for almost a year. He has a HUGE miniature winter village in his room. He says he puts it up every year because his nieces and nephews love it. It’s amazing! Lights, moving parts, it’s got everything! When he’s all finished with it, I’m going to take a picture of each part and send it to you haha. His parents kept offering us tea when we were over, not knowing we don’t drink it. We played their really old piano! They loved to hear us play. The only problem is that the piano hasn’t been tuned in probably 20 or 30 years. Seriously. It’s as old as our piano but it’s a piano! Pat was excited for us to try her jello salad. She said “Have you ever had this before? I was raised on this stuff. I hope you like it!”. Have I ever had jello salad? Please. I’m Mormon. I told her I had been raised on it too, and loved it. AND she made my favorite kind! Orange, with cool whip and mandarin oranges. After we ate dinner, I washed all the dishes for her by hand, while we talked more and Sister Bailey helped her put away the food. Then during dessert, we were talking about funny signs we had seen. Dennis thought of something funny, but he looked really embarrassed, and said he didn’t know if he should say it. But he and Pat were cracking up sheepishly over whatever this thing was. I could tell they wanted to tell us, but were unsure it it was appropriate. This made ME wonder what on earth these two sweet older people though was inappropriate! Finally Dennis told us what he was laughing at: in a local hardware store, they have an old toilet (but clean!) near the front with a sign that says “CIGARETTE BUTTS ONLY”. As soon as he said it, we all started laughing! He kept saying “I probably shouldn’t have said that in front of you!” all guilty. Haha they are the cutest people. I can’t believe he was so embarrassed by that! We love them so much.

…………also, I’ve seen two snowflakes so far! Winter is here…!

I’m sorry I don’t have any pictures this week. It’s really hard to remember to take them! I’ve got so much on my mind.

Thanks for sending the pictures. I am going to try to send more! There’s just so much on my plate with being a missionary and all! Tell people to write! Gotta go! Love you so much!!!